Friday, December 30, 2011

Another year is almost over. Time to reflect back and recall the
moments of joy and appreciate them and also moments of pain to learn and
get stronger.

Family : No visiting family back
home this year which is sad But actually could talk more to them this
year - thanks to the technology and options available for making calls.

Home : Home has been in the worst ever condition this year. - Fail fail fail.
Plans to buy new house- fail.
Rearrange the current house - fail

Work :
Got the new role - Good. But also had to deal with lots of troubles at
work. There are still 2 more days left for this year so can't say
anything. - Worrying

Travel : Very very less
travel (If i exclude my daily commute to work which is average 4 hrs
each day). Only 2 small out of country vacations that too for only 4-5
days each and one in NL only. - so OK OK.

Finances :
No saving dont this whole year. - Major sadness. But I didn cut down a
lot on my shopping expenses and also we could cut down on eating out
expenses - Small Achievements

Kid : As before could not give much time to her - Shame on me :(
Kid got lots of scolding from me this whole year - Major sadness
Tried to do some craft activities with the kid - Smiles
Kid started school this year - Happiness and Pride

Hobbies :
Bought new camera this year which brought along tons of happiness.
Clicked some really nice shots and am very happy about it. Already got
one more new Lens as gift. - Happiness
Also wrote quite some poetry this year. - Satisfaction

Health : Health has been ok this year. Just backache problems which gave me hard time for couple of months. - Not bad

Books : Did almost no reading this whole year -
Feeling lost and sad. Though I did buy some nice books to read. Currently reading Steve Jobs biography.
Hopefully more will be read in the coming new year. - Hope

Mood : The mood throghout this year has been low and bad and angry. (I pity my dear husband who had to bear the brunt of it all)

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

For many days I have been writing something but not posting as it was all full of frustrattions and rants.Then I thought - So what - this is my blog and my space. Why do i have to hold back but I feel like writing.Writing helps release all the tensions. So I will write whatever i feel like and post it too.

So - Bear with me if you find it all very negative and full of frustrations.

(You can stop reading if you are in no mood to listen to any more of rants)

So Its been more than one year since I visited family. Last we went to India was in Oct-Nov 2010. This is holiday season here. Everyone is taking off and going to visit families. The office is calmer and quieter (not work-wise though) And so many people have alreday asked me about my holiday plans and If i am visiting my family. I must say - I cannot - just CANNOT take that question any more. I am NOT going to India this year and i have speand awful amount of time to prepare myself to accept that. But may be I should not get upset about people asking me this. Afterall this is the only topic everyone is talking about these days.

So yes - I am upset about the fact that i have not seen my family for over a year now and wont see them for coming few months either.Besides, what is making it worse is lots of other worries of life. I am loosing it all. I am loosing all pateince to deal with anything. I get angry at the drop of a a feather (Did you get the meaning?!!?!?!?)And here comes the worst bit of it all - I take out so much of my anger on my kid :( I dont want to do that and I dont do that intentionally but that what happens. She ends up getting scolded for every small thing. I am guilty as hell for this behaviour of mine but i just cannot help it. Someone out there please please tell me how to deal with this. Any advise is welcome.

The I am fedup of managing this work-life balance. I cannot do this anymore. I just cannot. I feel physically and mentally exhausted. The reasons being millions.

I am not at all blaming the world for my worries but it does seem like the whole universe is conspiring to turn things against me.Nothing goes right.

Friday, September 30, 2011

For October, a group of bloggers and friends are planning a powerful initiative, taking the topic of Violence Against Women. They are aware of the fact that the subject on violence against woman is very wide and includes multiple aspects. To ensure that this awareness campaign is effective, they have limited the scope to the following aspects...

So - COME. JOIN IN and SUPPORT the cause. It's for YOU, ME and every other female around the world.

This is a week of celebrations in India. Ofcourse Indians all over the world are celebrating too. This is the Celebration of the Goddess - the power of womenhood - stree shakti! The power that can nurture a heart and fight a demon. Such is the power of a woman. The fearlessness and patience a woman can show is beyond measure.

Lets get together, celebrate these 9 days and pay our tributes to all those women who - inspite of all odds and being victims of violence - stood up and fought for getting the smiles in their lives. Lets salute each on of them! Lets salute their courage!

Edited to Add: Just realised this is my 150th post. Saw this number just like that after i posted this. I would not have liked my some spl number post to be anything else than poetry. I am glad it turned out to be like this. If you are interested in more poetry here - here is the link

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

My 10 Days of Me Challenge has gone way beyond 10 days. Ok - who said it has to be in 10 consecutive days (self convincing) So here i am back again with another day.
And this time it is ...umm..let me see..ok so its is

Five Foods....(bas maar daalo itni choti selection se) - Selecting only 5 - Are you kidding me? I can go on writing forever and yet the list wont end. There goes the foodie.

Ok here i begin the hard task of selecting 5.

Rajma Chawal (Red Kidney beans and Rice) - Now this is on my mind today. Want it now now now. Thanks to the tweet mentioning it.

Spaghetti pescatore (Sea Food Spaghetti) - there is no other dish easier to make than this and its just brilliant. I am totally in love with it. Purely italian, recipe from an italian and we are hooked on to this like anything. I can have it any time any quantity :)

Falafel - Love this one with all the salad and sauces there. Don't miss out on those full chillies. Awesome vegetarian lunch.

Samosa - This is one thing i have loved from ever since I remember. But I totally detest those fancy version of real samosa with all that dry fruit, paneer etc etc etc added. I love my samosa from a small corner shop with only masala potatoes there in. And ofcourse with that awesome green chutney.

I am thinking thinking thinking about what to put as fifth...there are sooo many options coming to my mind.....am thinking thinking

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Another day...and I reach the day to think about Six places..
hmm...now thats one difficult one for me..
Let me begin and give it a try

Srinagar (Kashmir, India) - Thats one palce I would love to go back. I have grown up there. Spent first 10 years of my life there. I have more memories of that place than any other till date.

Strasbourg (France) - We went for a vacation there and totally fell in love. Such a lovely place. We want to go back soon.

Delft (Netherlands) - That was the first city I styed in when I came here for the first time. That city has a charm of its own. Embracing the dutch heritage in architecture and nurturing the modern life by being a very student city. It has the famous Techical University of Delft.

Bangalore (India) : 3 years back we went there for the first time visiting family. Absolutely loved the city. A great mix of typical indian culture and the western influence.

Venice (Italy) : I don't think i need to explain why i love that. You need to visit it once to feel it yourself.

Paris (France) : Again, its the charm of the place. Its the beauty. Its the feel you can get obnly by being there.

Delhi (India) : Ok Its last in this list but that does not mean its the last preferred place. Its tops the list anyday. What do i say about apni diili...(in real sense i have not stayed there for long so i still miss the real real apni dilli kee feeling) For the rest, it means my family to me.

WOW...i absolutely loved doing this one. And now nostalgia is kicking in big time.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Here I am on Day 3..Talking about fears. As i started writing this my mind wandered. What are fears? Is it some thing that scares us? is it some inner feeling that keeps us away from something? Is it something we dread? Is it something we would not want to happen coime what may?

I could not decide which one of these it is. Or so I thought. It is perhaps all of them. Fear - which each one has in some form of the other. Fear of loosing! Fear of gaining! Fear of leaving! Fear of meeting!

My mind struggled to let these out...Here is my list... 8 fears...

My biggest fear is being alone. How muich ever i would say I want some alone time - the truth is I cannot be alone. I go crazy. Ic annot eat. i cannot do anything. Weel, thatd oes not mean i cannot stay alone at home for a while or anything like that. I mean alone forever, alone in life, alone and lonely!

I cannot bear the thought of loosing my loved ones. Its my biggest fear. I do not know how it is to cope with any such loss and i do not want to expereicne that ever.

I absolutely dread lizards. eww...even the thought is giving me shivers. So i leave this topic here as it is.

I am dead scared of snakes. I cannot even look at them.

Whenever I take a bus, train or any other public transport - I always fear that I am in the wrong one. I need to check outside and also inside to be sure I am in the right one. So much so that every single day I take a bus from station to my office and back. Its the only big red colored bus on that route. All other buses are from different companies/services hence diff colors. Yet when i take this, I always always - for a split second - doubt that I am in the wrong bus.I check on the screens inside bus or listen to driver for being sure.

At one point loosing my friends was something I thought I would not be able to take. Yet with passing time, friends came and went. Some close and deeply cherished ones stopped communicating. Having gone through that - I do not fear this anymore. People come and go, if they have the true connection with your heart, they willbe there - come what may. Others will blame it on distances, getting married, having kids, busy schedules, hectic lives etc etc etc.

I have this strange fear of loosing a day. I want to remain awake till as late as possible. i feel if i sleep the day will end. And it will end forever.

As a child I used to be aftraid of darkenss. Bt not anymore. Darkness triggers mind to think beyond what is obvious. Its triggers other senses too.

Monday, June 27, 2011

So 10 day challenge and I already missed day 2 & 3. Not good at all. I would have declared it Big Failure but No, i wont do so as yet. I have decided to run bit fast, catch up on missing posts and keep going as far as I can.

So here is Day 2 - 9 loves of my life...

First and foremost - my little girl - my daughter - Prisha. If am given only a split second to think, i would say She is my only love in life.

My sister - she is my soul. If i had multiple personality disorder, she would be one personality i would have loved to be :)

I love colors - in all forms. I am not a black n white person at all.

I love listening to gazals and sufu music

I love a specific pair of heels i have. I wish they stay forever.

I love beaches. Only i need to be under the umbrella. cannot sit in sun for long. love the water as far as you can see the most.

I absolutely love to lie down and watch TV till late in the night. Don't need any company for that.

I love my camera. Taking pictures has become a routine. (Not that my daughter really appreciates that anymore)

I love samosas. Any number, any day, anytime :) (Oh How much i miss those choti dunkaan ke samose)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Ok - So I think i can only keep this blog alive when there are some challenges. For the same reason - as soon as I came across this 10-Day Challenge started by Preeti - i had to take it up.

So here I begin..

10 Secrets...(And here i go....opening up my secret diary)

I am very very short tempered. I feel I am like that most of the times besides when I am sleeping.(Ok its a secret for blogworld only - not for my family)

I hate to be late for appointments unless the reasons for it are other people involved or something that can't be avoided. that deos not mean i am never late. I do get late too but i hate it. Weird?!?!?

I think i am the only one in the world who does not have any music on her iphone and laptop. (I discovered that recently during a conversation where I shocked the listeners beyond limits..they are still regaining from this shock. I was immediately redirectedto the sites where i can download music from)

And like Preeti - I hate oranges too. I cannot stand their smell. i hate it when people have oranges in closed places like buses and trains where I cannot open windows or go out. I almost get nausea.

I cannot stand rains. i hate walking in rain even if its just drizzling. I hate that wet-humid feeling. I hate that grayness.

I always want to be the last one to reply to an email. I mean in a chain of email going back and forth between me and someone else - i want to be the one sending the last reply. Till i get a reply i keep replying back ;) (But i keep waiting for the reply to my last one too - how complicated can one get!)

I do not know driving and swimming- ok i know very little of both actually (Go on - you can bash me..i know these are life skills :()

I cannot stand kids' crying. Yes - being a mom that can be a weird thing to say..how can you avoid that when you have a kid of your own. But yes..its the truth..I cannot stand it. I go crazy when I hear kids' crying. My brain goes in some war.

I cannot take shower in cold water even if its very hot weather. The water needs to be little bit warm.

Phewww.....done!
Believe me it was tough. Revealing your secrets is HARD!
Well..they are no longer any secrets.
Have fun..

And if you take up this challenge too, please drop a comment to let me know. I will love to know your secrets!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Dear blogosphere inhabitants....as we mark the completion of May Month NaBloPoMo - i am jumping into another one.
Wait wait...read further first..

As few of you must have read my happiness filled post - you can imagine what my love is these days.

So to add to my joy and to brush and polish my skills (I am assuming I have some :) ) I am taking up another month long challenge. Yes you heard it right....another challenge of posting everyday for the month of June. But Yes - you guessed it right - its not writing - its photos.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Earlier this month I complete 6 years of my stay here in Netherlands. Lot happened during this time.
Today i am listing 10 things from last 6 years that give me smiles.

First and foremost - I became a mom - 3.5 yrs back.

I experienced all kinds of weathers - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (And sometimes 2-3 of these on a single day :) )

I walked in knee deep snow and not just for fun for but for reaching work and then back home.

For the first time in life I did skiing

I learned to make things i would crave for and miss here.(food I mean)

I hosted parties for over 40 people and did every bit fo cooking myself including welcome drinks :)

I flew to another country to meet a friend (About a dacade back We used to fantasize about meeting each other at airport in some foreign land and would never ever imagine one day we will do so too - there is along story behind this)

I learnt a new language - Dutch - good enough to talk to an old lady for half an hour in a train

Met people from all over the world and learnt there is so much cultural similarity in each one.

Went to Venice - which was one of my dream places to go.

OK - there are many more coming to mind now, but I will leave it to 10 :)

Do you have days when everything seems bad?
Life seems like a pain.
Everything seems to turn back towards you.
Suddenly it feels you have all the problems of the world in your life.
Nothing works.
You feel like crying but cannot.
You feel like screaming but your throat does not support you to do that.
You feel like hitting anyone who messes with you or may be even if does not mess with you.
You feel like banging your head against the wall.
Head is full of so many worries - if let loose they will cover the whole earth.
Heart races like a ferari.
Every word sounds crap.
Any advice sounds blabber.

Tell me do you have such days??

I do but I am Grateful today is NOT one such day. :)
And suddenly I feel lucky and happy!!

Side Note: Last weekend I watched that movie - Dilli Chalo. A dialogue in it by Vinay Pathak hit me hard. (PS: the words might be slightly different but this was the meaning)

Sunday, May 29, 2011

I have two fav places to sit at home. One is exactly like her - on bed with books on side table and TV in front.

But my preffered one is.. Easy chair by the window with huge mug of coffee and a book in hand, gazals playing in background. Feeling the warmth of sunshine or hear heavy rainfall on window. I love this chair of mine. Just sitting there looking outside and lost in thoughts is what i like the most ;)

I have another fav place which i rarely get to use. Its the swing in our garden. I just love sitting there watching the sky - be it the blue one with white clouds or the night sky with stars. Thanks to mostly cold and rainy weather I rarely get to do this. Having weekend morning coffee sitting there is an absolute bliss which I have got to experience only couple of times till now.

Today morning when i was on my way to work - as always i noticed quite a few things.
Shoes have been my love always. So i was just randomly noticing what people were wearing..i mean footwear. And i took some shots. So here i present to you some random shots i took this morning.

This one for the special standing out red socks :)

And this one specially to show that goldden bag that the old lady was carrying. :)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Of this and that
Of here and there
We think we talk
We write and share

We hear and listen
We think we smile
We ponder and indulge
And do it for a while

Some lift this heart
Some give an ache
And moments we live
For no one's sake

Ever since i started blogging which is about 8 yrs now ( on different blogs) i came across so many different people and part of their lives. Irrespective of distances, gender, religion, age, likes, dislikes - people connected. With some its a quick connection... Something like that feeling one gets when meeting for the first time and yet seems like we know each other for long. That instant wavelength matching :) - as some say! I have felt the same with many. But somehow i feel i need to take a step back before going all over into someone's life ... And opening up mine. Then there comes a time when the comfort level grows. Bloggers become friends.

Isnt it amazing how we read something and feel its exactly what we think. How quickly and how many times we nod at what we read. How often we read about things close to our heart. How we read things that we shy away from talking about. How we feel for things.

I find blogging another world in itself. Another life parallel to physical being. With smiles, joys, tears, sadness, pats and bows, lows and highs .....with friends and aquaintances and perhaps enemies too.

A life I can control and look forward to all the time...!!! A life whose birth and death I can decide.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I don't think i have anything worth writing today besides telling how my last 30 hours have been.

Yesterday aftrenoon around 1 PM i was told about an urgent very high priority business issue.

I immediately got onto it...tried to find the root cause... And when i say I got onto it..take it in its complete sense. Continuously trying to find the reason - From 1 in the afternoon till 2 in the night. Still no luck :(
I was cross eyed by then and could hardly see anything clearly (imagine looking at numbers whole day - trying to pick up that one wrong number somwhere)
So called it a day (or night) at 2 ..but could not sleep till 3. Woke up at 6 and back to business again. With no luck...came to office. Together with another colleague the search began once again.
With luck or God's grace or hard work or whatever you call it - we found the cause and fixed the problem by 3 PM today.

What joy and what relief!! I finally started breathing again...

And shall i tell you the cause :)

It was one asterix (*) in front of one of the numbers - a star at a place where it can only go wrong :)

Khoda pahaad nikli chuhiya ( Anyone knows an english proverb for this)....Well the impact was HUGE.

Monday, May 23, 2011

I was googling for soemthing on internet and somehow landed up searching for my first school. So many things/incidents flashed back in a split second. I was lost in the beautiful memories and smiling.

Here are few of those which came to my mind... And I am still smiling... :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was in Class 1 (around last month of so in that class) , i lost my english book in school. I got the new one but could never forget that one(don't remember why) 3 years later when i was in Class 4 and was in library for something else - i found it there on one of the shelves - with same cover and my name there on :)
I somehow have the feeling the title of the book is in my mind too but somehow can't get it out.

When I was around 4 yrs and my little sister was just born - I used to take mental note of everything she would do. It felt like a responsibility that i should be telling her all that when she grows up. And i did remember quite a bit.

When I was around 5-6, I used to go buy dahi (yoghurt) from a special shop selling fresh yoghurt. I loved that walk alone and felt like I am doing a great job. But there was that secret (ok not secret at all actually after you read further) action i loved....i would eat some of the yoghurt while walking back home. (Oh how i loved that fresh set youghurt and i still do) Howsoever hard i tried to keep that a secret, i always always - without missing even once - spilled little bit on my t-shirt or frock and would be caught as soon as i would reach home inspite of my efforts to look my innocent best :)

I have been very fond of high heels and umbrellas right from my childhood. So as soon as one of my aunts would come home while on her way back from work - I would wait for her to take off her sandals and put her things aside. And next moment I would be out wearing those and holding that umbrella. I could play hours on with just those 2 things. Until one day i tripped over and hurt on of my finger very badly. I had to get stitches done. Please note - my love for high heels is still intact even though i was never allowed to wear my aunt's sandals ever again after that day.

When my sister was around 2-3 yrs and I obvisouly much older (than her), mom made dresses for both of us- exactly same style skirt-top but different colors. mine was lemon yellow and her was purple. It was exactly same style yet i liked her more. Her skirt has much more beautiful lace on the edges than mine. i felt my mom was partial because she was the baby doll of the house :) (But i dont think I ever complained about that openly - the wise elder sister I was and perhaps am :) )

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So do you have any such memories from early childhood? Please share - would love to read.

"You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe,those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones.What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too,and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere,but that they are as confused as you."

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The city where i live and the city where i work are miles apart. It takes me 1 hr 45 minutes one way with public transport. (Please note this is not a rant post for that reason)

Ok - So I have been travelling like this for almost 6 years now. Metro, Train, Bus....Thats my routine.
And over all these years I have met many people on my daily route.

People who lived in the neighbourhood but we had never seen each other before. We became friends. We just travelled same direction at same time in metro. After that our directions changed.

People who worked in the same city as me. We travelled together in train.

People who worked in the same building as mine but different company. We travelled together in train and bus.

People who were my colleagues. We never knew we were in the same company until we came across each other in some company meet. We worked in different departments and our office was on different floors.

People who were my colleagues and we worked in same departments and sat on same floor. We travelled together in train/bus. Two of them are my closest friends now.

People who took the train from the same station as I do but for different destinations. And did I tell you we are friends for life now. First few times after we started meeting outside trains and stations, we introduced ourselves as train friends.

Once again people who travelled same direction as me in bus - our office buildings being next to each other. And we became very good friends.

People who travelled with me in the same train and have kids same age as mine. Our kids are friends now - closer than we are :)

People whom I had met before in common friends' gatherings and then started travelling together too in the same direction in train.

Inspite of so many people I met and had enough company all through my journey - I am loosing out on it now.

2 of my nice neighbours/friends in metro have stopped taking the metro. One started driving to work and another changed job.

And slowly over a span of 3 years...my friends in the train also started leaving. SOme moved closer to work so they dont travel by train anymore. Some others changed jobs. SOme relocated to another country. And for one - their company moved to another city to another bigger building. All those who were colleagues and fellow travellers have changed jobs. (May be it's a sign i need a change too)

I always always sit in the same compartment in the train for last 5 yrs. Not the same seat though - which is not possible for obvious reasons.
So today - when i was sitting in my usual spot without anyone to talk to and I realised I have none of those left to accompany me on my almost 4 hr journey everyday. No more exchanging messages in the morning about who is taking which train. No more looking out of the window to wait for someone. No more sharing the urge to take a nap in the early morning train. No more fashion-police like comments on people sitting around (and that was with an Indian friend - we would talk in hindi and laugh between ourselves without the person sitting next to us having a single clue thats its about him :) :) THough we always dreaded tha day someone would reply back in hindi.) No more exchanging sms about person sitting next to us and giggling away to glory. No more sharing tips on how to handle that boss or in some cases kids.
Even though I have made some very good friends Its still not the same as meeting everyday.

Sitting in that metro or train or bus...I am surrounded by people but I still feel alone.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I am sure everyone gets a kick as soon they hear about clothes (well - thats not limited to that only)

Ok so my point was - I do get all excited about the topic as soon as I hear it but only till the point its about buying :)

I hate anything to do with clothes other than buying. I hate washing, hanging theM to dry, wrapping up, ironing, sorting them and arranging them in cupboards. I just cannot do that.

This is one thing which irritates me the most. And this is one thing that I am most embarrased about when i have guests over. Thank God for that attic area where i can dump everything. Its like a laundry house...clothes everywhere. And When I have friends over esp those who are first time visitors and all enthu about wanting to have a walk through of the house, I make sure I do not make any hint to another floor. I just escort them back to groud floor after they have had the first floor round and praised my house maintenance skills. (All for their own beneifit - I do not want them to get a shock and also I do not want to refrain myself from little boost in between all the guilt I live with everyday)

Ok Am spilling all the beans today.....

My cupboards are dumping box. You cannot find anything there - Just cannot!

My attic is like maze. You really need a navigation system to walk there and search something (I so wish every piece of cloth had a chip in it so I could trace it with GPRS - so much for the technology we are used to)

I never can find my socks after they go for washing. I keep buying new ones (Oops....now thats serious - Imagine teh day i will find out all - i will need a cupboard just for socks ;) ok slight exaggeration but nearly true)

There are times when my cupboard has only clothes which i do not wear and all the ones whic i wear are piled up for ironing.

Many a times i suddenly find something in that pile which i had totally forgotten about. i get pleasantly suprised to find it ( Imagine how long it lies there that I totally forgotthat I have somethign like that)

So many times including one today I remember certain tops only when I look at old pictures. And the search begins!

I wish someone would come up with use-and-throw clothes. Wear them once or perhaps twice and throw away. (Oh even the thought is sooo sooo relieving)

I know I know most of you will be saying - How can anyone be that unorganized!!
Believe me i won't say NO to any help offered to change it.

Ok there is one aspect of clothes other than buying that I like. I like stitching. :)Two is enough - Right?

PS: There is a silk stole I am searching in my house for 2 years now .... all efforts in vain. I know I have it. I have never used it. I know i have not given it to anyone. If anyone has a clue - please help!!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

This is our new mantra now - by our I mean me and another colleague.
We decided about it 2.5 weeks ago. And fianlly started following it too.

My office is on 7th floor and ofcourse we take elevators - always with few exceptions when there was some serious problem with them ( count that as 3-4 times in 6 yrs :) )
I have always wanted to do so but could never gather the strength enough to do so. I always had excuses ready - oh my bag is too heavy or i am wearing high heels, oh am too tired, oh my back is aching.... The list is never ending!

Finally, one day while i was going out to grab some lunch, my friend suggested we take the stairs to go down. I couldn't say no atleast for going down. So i smilingly accepted the idea, secretely wishing she does not come up with idea on the way back.

Going Down was easy-peasy .. Add girly gossip to that to make it fun. I unconsciously timed it. We took just 2 min. Hmmm... that was quick.

We went ahead. Did the shopping and walked back. I had little bit stuff only in a small bag. But she had done some extra shopping and was carrying a heavy bag. I was sure she would not be able to climb up the stairs. And to my delight ... She didnt (can u imagine me dancing?)

We took the elevator up. Had our lunch and some more gossip. In between she suggested going for one round up and down the stairs after lunch. I shrugged the idea like a useless idea and ignored it, moving on to more interesting topics.

But to my surprise she came right after I went back to my desk and signalled to join her as if we have been stairs-buddies forever. No she cant be serious. I just had lunch, my stomach is full and besides i have so much work to do. While i was lost in thinking she called me again. I still asked- "are you sure?"
"Yes yes.. Come now.."- came the oh-so-casual reply.

Using all my might and power i got up and joined her. Going down was OK .. 2 min maggi noodles task. But climbing up... OMG, why wasnt our office on 3rd floor or worst 4th floor. Why do they make high buildings. Till 3rd floor was smooth, another one upto 4th was some work. But one more was a drag. I almost had the urge to take a break and rest a while. 2 more floors seemed like HUGE. Then she suggested we stop on 6th floor and go to library there to pick some books. I rejoiced in the idea. Thank God one less floor. I quickly climbed 20 odd stairs to another floor. And then suddenly she changes her mind-"No, leave it, we will come for books later".

Hunh???

I silently climbed another floor and thanked God we didnt work on 10th floor.

Yes Its HOT-BLONDIE I am talking about. Before you start taking that literally let me clarify - It's a new dessert at Burger King. That cake with warm and melting white chocolate inside and ice-cream on top

It’s totally worth the sin.

I tried it once before and have been looking for second chance ever since.

And as a Mother’s day special treat I sweetly demanded this.

I devoured in it with multiplied happiness as none of my other two partners had any wish to have it. (They didn’t have a clue what they were saying NO to)

BTW, 2 weeks ago I had decided that the day I will lose 4 kg – I will go and have that. But I broke it in between J I went half way. It was mother’s day – I deserved some treat – right?

While we are all in mother’s day mode – Let me tell you this too.

My little girl painted a small pot with her hands, planted some seeds in it. Nurtured it and gifted it to me yesterday with tiny saplings there. The instructions were strict – Do not keep it in direct sun, do not touch the plants, do not put too much water.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

I want to smile a lot
I want to laugh out loud
I want to sing
I want to dance
I want to read a lot
I want to work day & night
I want to shout at the top of my voice
I want to scream like hell
I want to kill someone* ;-)
I want to be alone for atleast a month
I want to go out shopping all day
I want to eat a lot
I want to host a huge party
I want to love someone a lot
I want to be loved a lot
I want to become someone's life
I want to earn a lot
I want to perform on stage
I want to feel proud of myself
I want to be with my daughter all the time
I want to learn photography
I want to dance in the rain
I want to have a paintings' exhibition
I want to live very near to work place
I want to speak to my mom - right NOW!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

What a saturday-i must say!! Ok very beautiful outside. Lovely sunny weather.. And I in all excitement put on my chef cap and apron to churn out some equally lovely mouth-watering dishes (atleast thats what the idea was)

I begin...ok before i miss out imp detail.. The plan was to BAKE some goodies!

Baked first one with super enthusiasm. Looked lovely. First bite... Duhhhh...shocker yet i maintained my smile and waited for hubby's reaction. No words from there. I go guessing mode. Did he like it? Reallyyy? How can he? Is it anywhere near liking. Nah! He is just pretending. I ignore and dont request an opinion.

I start dish no 2. Enthu is still intact. I got on to second "first trial" dish or rather snack which it actually was supposed to be. (notice 'was')
Ok so all mixed up well..added my super brain ideas to it and plop-it goes in oven. Very high hopes and confidence saw it rising breath-takingly :) So the recipe said 20min. I checked it twice in 20 min :) (so much cOnfidence that i thought it might bake in half the time-shouldn't super enthu do that... Lessen the baking time)
It seemed to work opposite(note 'work' - oh ya sure) I gave up afer 30 min. Took them out and checked again, still not done...WHAT????? I checked my patience level. Veryyyy low. And the dish goes in microwave for rest of the cooking. 2 min and seemed like they were done. With pride i invite hubby over to eat. In my heart i felt like a MasterChef having managed a super looking dish inspite of those not-to-be-told moments in between. I was in so much hurry to eat them all myself but good wife and chef that I am - i waited for him to take a bite first. Hmmmmmm.... Again no reaction, no words of praise. Perhaps o e is short of words when things are tooooooo good ;)( did you miss out those extra "o" in too?) ok so let me take the bite and indulge in the goodness of life-food. Bahhh.. What.. This can't be right! I ask for some ketchup. Nah not enough. I ask for some hotter sauce with lits of chilli. Hmm little better now. (oh did i tell u hubby had already walked away after one bite, he seemed to be on search mission.. Something edible) The so called yummy lookibg dish had too much salt and was still under-cooked!

I think i forgot to mention third dish was already in oven while i was doing the quich microwave part. Ok so i had very very high hopes from this one. It can't go wrong thrice. Right? Come on say it...ok i heard it. Thanks!!

Well this one was bit time taking one. An hour kinda. I kept an eye. In between i started cleaning up the chef's adda since morning. It looked as if i cooked for 50 people. I did remember to check in between. Afterall am a master chef.. Multi tasking is my trait ;)

Almost an hour later, it was done. I take out (doubled up pride) Again patience is not my virtue. I pick up the nicest of knives only to start slicing out my pride to crumbs. The crust had got super hard. It had stuck to bottom. Ok inside was ok-ish. Never mind.. Inside is what matters .. Dil accha to sab accha (ignore that)

Did you just ask about hubby's reaction on this? Haha.. Am i crazy? Am a chef.. A master chef, i know what to offer and what not ;) so i silently kept this dish covered on one side and got into making our tried and tested.. Dal and baingan ka bartha( lentils and aubergine something)

So we DID finally enjoy the food what if it was not as per the first plan ;) :)